Celebrating Pro Bono Month
By The month of October brings awareness to many causes. It is Cancer Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Pro Bono Month.
Let’s talk about what we can do as family law attorneys to bring some awareness to Pro Bono Month.
The North Carolina State Bar asks each lawyer to commit to providing 50 hours of legal services to those who are unable to pay, according to Rule 6.1, which states in further detail: every lawyer should
“(a) provide a substantial majority of the (50) hours of legal services without fee or expectation of fee to:
(1) persons of limited means;
(2) charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations in matters that are designed primarily to address the needs of persons of limited means; or
(3) individuals, groups or organizations seeking to secure or protect civil rights, civil liberties or public rights, or charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations in matters in furtherance of their organizational purposes, where the payment of standard legal fees would significantly deplete the organization’s economic resources or would be otherwise inappropriate;
(b) provide any additional services through:
(1) the delivery of legal services described in paragraph (a) at a substantially reduced fee; or
(2) participation in activities for improving the law, the legal system or the legal profession.
In addition, a lawyer should voluntarily contribute financial support to organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means.”
This year, in recognition of the extensive unmet family law needs in our state, the Family Law Section and the Pro Bono Committee have paired together to create family law clinics. We initiated our first family law clinic in Raleigh at the Blanchard Center several months ago. At the clinic, family law attorneys were paired with paralegals to prepare custody paperwork for and offer related advice to clients in Wake County, allowing the clients to leave prepared to file their cases pro se.
We were even able to offer full-service representation to a few clients with the help of a non-profit and wonderful volunteers. Please understand that full-service is not a requirement of the clinic and was only offered on a limited basis. The initial clinic was able to help over 15 families. We provided sample paperwork for the attorneys, allowing even our newest attorneys to get involved without the worry of feeling overwhelmed.
Why are custody clinics needed? Family law is an expensive endeavor for many families and can cost thousands of dollars. Legal Aid offers services to families who cannot afford legal services, are victims/survivors of domestic violence, and at times, children who are abused. Legal Aid has a limited staff to offer those services, and there are many families that are in between the ability to qualify for Legal Aid and the ability to pay for private attorneys. This clinic to a way to help those families in that gap.
We plan to move the clinic across the state and bring this wonderful event everywhere from the mountains to the coast. Our next event is being held in February 2023 in Greensboro. Please be on the lookout for an email with the Greensboro location and the time and date, as well as other future locations and dates, so you can consider giving a few hours of your time to help with such a great need and signing up!
What else can we do this month to acknowledge and celebrate pro bono month? You can answer the legal questions on the NCBA Free Legal Answers website and help someone on your own time. You can volunteer for Lawyer on the Line, which is a joint program with the NCBA and Legal Aid to give a client advice on a schedule that works for you. You can also volunteer to take on a client for one of our non-profits throughout the state or sign up for an existing project through the NC Pro Bono Resource Center.
Reflect on your time this month and see where you can fit in pro bono this month or in another month when you have a lighter workload. If you need any ideas, assistance or advice, please reach out to one of our pro bono chairs and we will be happy to help you find a way for you to serve. Enjoy your week!